Compost tumbler buying guide
Updated: October 2026
You have six amazon.co.uk drums in front of you, from £54.99 to £299.00, and the table does not say which choice comes first. This compost tumbler buying guide puts the chamber and the door ahead of the litre figure and the star line. The listings are on our [drum composter comparison](/hub/raised-beds-greenhouses-and-compost/drum-composter). By the end you should know when a normal garden wants two chambers, and when a balcony line or a crank is the only claim on offer. A purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
You have six amazon.co.uk drums in front of you, from £54.99 to £299.00, and the table does not say which choice comes first.
You have six amazon.co.uk drums in front of you, from £54.99 to £299.00, and the table does not say which choice comes first. This compost tumbler buying guide puts the chamber and the door ahead of the litre figure and the star line. The listings are on our drum composter comparison. By the end you should know when a normal garden wants two chambers, and when a balcony line or a crank is the only claim on offer. A purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Chambers | Capacity | How it turns | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Squeeze master Squeeze master 160 L thermometer tumbler | Dual | 160 litres | 50 mm groove | 8.8 | about £58.63 | View offer |
| Best value |  Hygrad Hygrad 160 L dual-chamber tumbler | Dual | 160 litres | On an axis | 8.1 | about £54.99 | View offer |
 Squeeze master Squeeze master 130 L liquid-drain tumbler | Single | 130 litres | Rotating drum | 6.2 | about £55.99 | View offer |
On this page
Dual chamber, single drum or a crank
Start with how many batches the drum can hold. A dual chamber, and the double cell on the Moutta, uses a fixed divider. Harrod Horticultural’s account is plain: you empty a finished side, and the wall does not move the compost across. If every peeling lands in the only chamber, that batch never rests. The £55.99 Squeeze master is the single 130 litre drum. The Moutta at £299.00 is the only crank. The weekly routine is on how to use a compost tumbler.
Litres, and the sizes you should not trust
Five plastic tumblers cost £54.99–£65.99 and claim 130, 140 or 160 litres. The Moutta is £299.00 for 180 litres, a crank and a collector truck in the title. Two listings print centimetres that sit badly beside the litres. The £58.63 Squeeze master says 160 litres and 57 x 57 x 23 cm. The £55.99 model says 130 litres and 49 x 29 x 50 cm. The Hygrad title adds “43 gallon” and does not say which gallon.
Thermometer, drain and a balcony
A compost thermometer is in the box on one listing: the Squeeze master at £58.63. The bullets give no degree figure. UK reviews say there is one dial for two chambers, and that rain can fill it. Only the 130 litre model lists drain plugs and a collector. UK reviews often say the lid opens mid-turn, and that the drain blocks, weeps at the seams, or arrives without the tap. The Royal Horticultural Society’s 1:10 dilution is for wormery liquid, and it does not belong on tumbler run-off. If rats are the reason for a drum, those door reviews are the weak point, and siting is on rats and a compost tumbler. A balcony appears once, on the 140 litre Squeeze master.
A short way to choose
For a normal garden, pick a dual chamber from £54.99 to £65.99: the Hygrad, the thermometer model at £58.63, the £59.99 Squeeze master, or the 140 litre model. Stars do not mean faster compost. A balcony points only at the 140 litre listing. A crank points only at the Moutta at £299.00, and the file has no UK review text for it. A drain points only at the 130 litre model, which many households should leave because of the door reviews.
Common questions
Is a dual chamber worth it for one household?
Yes, if peelings arrive most days and you still want a batch left alone. The divider is fixed. You empty a finished side. Fresh waste does not pass through the wall into the maturing half. A single chamber, only the 130 litre Squeeze master at £55.99 in this set, means every new load lands on the batch you are trying to finish.
Is 140 litres enough, or do I need 160 or 180?
140 litres is the dual-chamber Squeeze master at £65.99, and the listing that mentions a balcony. 160 litres is the cluster at £54.99, £58.63 and £59.99. 180 litres is the Moutta at £299.00. Move to 180 litres when you want the crank and the truck, and accept that the written reviews are marked outside the UK.
Do I need a crank, or is pushing the barrel enough?
Pushing is what five of these drums expect. Reviewers often manage it, and they also say the barrel gets heavier as it fills. A crank is named only on the Moutta, at £299.00. Buy that crank if a heavy turn is why a ground bin already failed you. Leave it if a dual chamber at £54.99–£65.99 covers the garden and you can still roll a part-full drum.
Should I buy the model with a compost thermometer?
Buy the gauge the listing includes. That is the Squeeze master at £58.63. The bullets state no temperature in degrees, and reviews say there is one dial for two chambers. On the Hygrad and the £59.99 Squeeze master, UK reviews say a photograph showed a gauge that was not in the box. A picture is a weak reason to expect a thermometer.
Is a drain tap a feature or a problem?
On this set it is printed on one listing and troublesome in that listing’s UK reviews. Only the 130 litre Squeeze master at £55.99 names drain plugs and a bottom collector. Reviewers often say the lid opens mid-turn, the drain blocks, liquid drips at the seams, or the tap is missing. A dual chamber without a tap is the calmer buy when you want compost for the beds.
Can any of these go on a balcony?
Only the 140 litre Squeeze master at £65.99 says so. The bullets describe metal legs as a stand for the garden or the balcony, with 9.6 kg in the bullets and 9.42 kg in the weight field. None of the other five makes a balcony claim. The floor also has to carry the drum once rain and kitchen waste are in it. No indoor answer is recorded.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources from the research digest. Prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures in this set of six listings.
- RHS — Composting (retrieved 17.10.2026)
- Garden Organic — Different composting methods (retrieved 17.10.2026)
- GOV.UK — Animal material in home compost (retrieved 17.10.2026)
- GOV.UK — Simpler recycling in England (retrieved 17.10.2026)
- New Forest District Council — Home composting (retrieved 17.10.2026)
- WRAP — Home composting (retrieved 17.10.2026)
- REAL — PAS 100 (retrieved 17.10.2026)
- Test Valley Borough Council — Rats and mice (retrieved 17.10.2026)